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L. V. W. FBOGER. CABLE ARRANGEMENT FOR TOWING. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8, 1919. 1,378,102. Patented May 17,1921.

FSHEETS-SHEET I.

L. V. W. FROGER. CABLE ARRANGEMENT FOR TOWING.

. APPLICATION FiLED DEC. 8, 1919- 1,378, 102, Patented May 17, 1921.

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L. v. w. FROGER. CABLE ARRANGEMENT FOR TOWING- APPLICATIO'N FILED DEC. 8, I919- 1,378,102. Patented May 17,1921. 1 SHEETS-SHEETS 6 15 Fig- L. V. W. FROGER.

CABLE- ARRANGEMENT FOR TOWiNG. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8, 1919.

Patented May 17, 1921.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

.L. V. W. FROGEH.

CABLE ARRANGEMENT FOR TOWING. APPLICATION FILED DEC-8, i919.

Patented May 17,1921.

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CABLE ARRANGEMENT FOR TOWING.

APPLICAYION FILED DEC. 8,1919- 1 ,378, 102. Patented May 17, 1921.

TSHEETS-SHEET 6 L. V. W., FROGER. CABLE ARRANGEMENT FOR TOWING. APPLICATICN FILED DEC.8,1919.

Patented May 17, 1921.

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.Be it known that 1, Louis VICTOR France, and resident of Lorient, Morbihan, France, (post-oflice address, 26 Rue Victor Hugo,) have invented av new and. useful.

Cable Arrangement for Towing, which improvements are fully set forth in the follow-x ing specification. r

This invention relates to the towing of ships by means of an endless tow line, based" on" the Varignon-theorem and is also applicable, as will be explained .later on, to;

the mooring of ships.

In order to make the following explanation, as clear as possible, the accompanying draw- .Fig. 3' is an elevation of the part of the ships side, to which issecured a. simplebolt which receives the tow line on a projection.

Fig. a is a plan of the same part.

Fig. 5 shows the joint of the tow line its chain extenslon. F' g. 6 shows the joint of the extension to the chain by means of an escape'ment hook.

Fig. 7 shows. a pulley with stop lugs, provided with holes by means of which the tow line can be temporarily locked'by..means of a stud, in orderto facilitate theman'euvering of the towed ship by exercising onlya moment opposed to the falling oif or casting that it is desired to impart'quickly to the ship in question. V

' Figs. 8 and 8 are halves of an elevation" of the same towing device with a double endless tow line passing over a differential tackle.

Figs. 9 and 9 are same.

starboard, justas there is another one onthe port side, to the hooks orprojections of which are made fast the tworstanding parts of the endless tow line with two or four strands, as well asthos'e of theendless mooring chain with two or fourstrands; A

IL LIAM Fnoonn, citizen of theRepubli'c of Figs. 2 and 2 are halves of a plan ofv th ha e of a lanofthe Fig. 10 showsinlelevation the side of the" ship to which is secured a movable'bolt on specification of Letters Patent. t nt May 17 1921; Application filed De0 ember 8,1919.' Serial No. 343,361. V I

with lugs,securedin front of each bolt, is

intended to be used as a return for the endless tow line passingthrough the ditt'eren tial tackle for mooring.

Figs. 11 and 11 are halves of an elevation of thesan'ie device applied to the mooring and making fast of a ship in accordance,

with the same arrangement, by means of a double endless chain.-

Figs.-l2 and 12? are halvesof a plan of the same, and Q Figs. 13-17 are detail views. 7 F' gs. l8 and 18? are halves of an elevation of. the same device with an endless mooring chamhaving two anchors.

Figs. 19 and 19 are halves .of a plan of the same and Figs. .20, 20 21, 21 and 22 shew the.

mooring of an anchor on two chains.

' As shown in F1gs.'1.,7, as regards the end-.

less tow line, on board the tug is arranged a single sheave pulley 1, (Figs. 1 and 2 This part is the heart of the system, and

in fact it is on it that-depend the uniform distribution of the traction, of the tension on the cords and the stabilityof; direction,

a very important point, in the propulsion).

pin'dle is journaled in plate The pulley. and forks 2 1 a i The pulley '1 on the towing ship is engaged bythe middle section 3 of, the tow' line, which latter passes over the support or bracket 61 and comprises a pair. of terminal sections 3 hooked to the side bolts 10 on the towed ship and-I pairs of intermediate sections 8, 9,.8., The sections 3, 3' and 9 are preferably in the form of chains as shown,

nected at their ends to'the" chain sections 3, 9, 3by means of'metal eyelets 7 best shown in-Fig. '5. The middle section or chain 3 carries a pair of. stop blocks 4: to. engage the pulley 1 in "the event of breakage of one of the intermediate sections .8. or 8', so as to limit the movement of said chain, and also carries a pair of.releasing hooks 5 (see Fig. 6), said hooks serving to detachably couple the central portion'ofthe section or chain totheend portions 3 The intermediate chain sections 9 are used for ballast; purposes, and must be of equal length and of equal diameter,iweight and strength; and they also act somewhat in the manner of powerful springs in that they provide for a material elasticity in the tow line and at the same time take up and absorb any shocks which may be transmitted to the line.

The two side bolts 10 are disposed vertically, as shown in Fig. 3, and are mounted or journaled in bearings 13, each bolt being provided with a lateral hook 11 for releasable engagement with the bent link 12 on the end of the corresponding chain section 3. These bolts are formed with squared upper ends let on which are fitted the lever arms or handles 15 for turning said bolts,the free ends of said handles being engageable by pivoted catches 16 for holding the bolts in the position in which their hooks 11 are coupled to the links 12. The said hooks are situated in the plane of the main section of the towed ship and at equal distances from a point 0 in the center line thereof, so that the forces acting on the ship at opposite sides of such point will thus be balanced. But the pulley 1 may, if desired, be locked to its sheave and thereby held against movement, in order to out out or to render inoperative one of said forces, by forming the pulley and sheave with a set of four registering openings 17 (Fig. 7) to interchangeably receive a pin 18; such action facilitating the casting oft of the tug.

Similar devices are preferably provided to balance the ship at a second point 0 in its center line. this secondpoint 0 being located forward of the first point 0 adjacent the end of said line. For this purpose there is connected to the forward portion of each chain 3 a rope, chain or other flexible relieving element 19 which is passed through the hawser opening in the adjacent side of the ship and then led rearward and detachably connected to one of the two hooks 11 on a rotatably mounted, horizontal bolt 1O which is generally'similar to the side bolts 10 and, like them, is provided with an operating handle 15 engageable by a catch 16.

The devices thus far described, that is to say, the pulley 1 and the tow line, may be permanently attached to any tug, and the tow line readily coupled to the ship to be towed by hitching the ends ofthe chains 3 to the side bolts 10 or, if the said chains 3 form part of the equipment of the tow and not part of the tow line, by hitching them to the ends of the ropes 8.

The structure shown in Figs. 89 is generally similar no that represented in Figs. 17 and described above, excepting that a double tow line is employed which comprises two middle sections 3, two pairs of rope sections 8 and 8, two pairs of chain sections 9, two terminal chain sections 3 and an additional chain section 3 which connects the ends of the inner pair of rope sections 8. The middle sections 3 pass over the two members of a differential pulley 1 on the tug and include the outer portions or members 3 which are detachably coupled to the central portions of said sections or chains by the releasing hooks 5, as in the first form. The connecting section or chain 3 passes around two pulleys C, D, on the towed ship which are so arranged that the portion of the chain between said pulleys is disposed parallel to an imaginary line A--F connecting the two side bolts 10 and intersects the center line of the ship at the point 0 intermediate the previously-mentioned points 0 and 0, the said sections 3 having releasing hook connections with the ends of the said rope sections 8.

In Figs. 11, 11 12 and 12, the tow line is shown as connected with an anchor 1 instead of with a pulley on the tug; in which case, its middle section 3 (constituted by a Gallic chain as represented in Fig. 16) passes through a transverse opening 2 in the anchor stem, the rear wall of such opening being of convex or forwardly-curved formation as indicated at 2 in Fig. 16. The tow also comprises a pair of long side sections or chains 9, which are connected at their'rear ends to the terminal sections or chains 3. The ends of the middle section 3 are connected to the front ends of the side sections 9 by shackles (Figs. 11, 12 and 15), while the rear ends of the sections 9 are coupled by chains 7 (Fig. 17) to the front ends of the chains 3. The section 3' may be provided adjacent its ends with swivels 6 (Fig. 15) for reducing the torsion of the chains 9 Figs. 18, 18, 19 and 19" show the features of Figs. 11, 11 12 and 12 applied to the double tow line construction of Figs. 8, 8, 9 and 9 and require no special explanation.

In the case of fogs or the like, the first of the two ships to notice the danger can effect uncoupling of the connections almost instantaneously, due to. the absence of the clamps, cleats, etc., which are usually employedwith the tow lies and are especially dangerous with large hawsers or steel cables. The risk of abandonment by the towed ship is greatly reduced, and along a coast in case of wind from the sea, this will often mean avoidance of shipwreck. The emission of all cleats, clamps, etc., also facilitates leting go of the tow lines both on the tug and on the towed ship by driving out with a blow of a hammer the movable shackles from the lever arm at each side. Where the diiferential tackle (Figs. 8, 8 9, 9 18, 18 19 and 19 is employed, the four releasing hooks may be connected by means of special cords or the like which may be pulled to release the tow lines.

Figs. 20, 20 21, 21 and 22 show a construction in which the ship is provided with two anchor chains connected at one end to the shackle ft on the stem of the anchor (Fig. 22) and at the other end to the mooring rings, the arrangement being generally the same as that illustrated in Figs. 11,113

12 and 12. w V

I claim as my invention:

1. In a cable arrangement for towing, the

combination, with a pair of releasing hooks adapted to be positioned onthe tow atthev ends ofa transverse line normal to the longitudinal axis of the tow; of a tow line having its ends detachably coupled to said hooks; and balancing connections forward fof said hooks between the tow and each bight of the tow line, the bend in the latter adapted to be positioned vertically on the tow at the ends ofa transverse line normal to the longitudinal axis of the tow, a handle for operating each bolt, a catch engageable with each handle to hold the corresponding bolt in one position, and alat'eral hook on each bolt; of a tow line having its ends detachably coupled to said hooks; and balancing connections forward ofsaid hooks between the tow and each bightof the tow line, the bend in the latter adapted to run in a grooved part on the tug or anchor.

3. In a cable'arrangement for towing, the combination, with a pair of transverselygrooved elements, a pair of releasing hooks adapted to be positioned on oppositesides of the tow at the ends of a transverse line normal to the longitudinal axis of the tow, and a pair of pulleys arranged on the tow at the ends of a transverse line parallel with and forward of the first-named line; of a double 7 tow'line detachably coupled at one end to one hook and thereafter successively led. forward and inserted in the groove in one grooved element, passed rearward to the opposite side of the tow, led across said pulleys to the first named side of the tow, led forward again and inserted in the-groove in the other grooved element, and led rearward and detachably coupled at its free end to the other hook. i

4. In a cable arrangement for towing, the combination of a tow line having its ends connected to thetow at two points situated equidistant from the longitudinal axis of the tow and to the rear of the bow thereof, the bend in the tow line adapted to run in a grooved part on the tug or" anchor; fastening devices on the tow; and balancing lines branching. from the tow line and connected to said fastening devices.

5. In a cable arrangement for towing, the combination of a tow line having itsends connected to the tow at two pointssituated equidistant from the longitudinal axis of the tow and to the rear of the bow thereof; a pulley mounted on the tug in the longitudinal axis of the said tug, the bend in the tow line running around said pulley; fastening devices on the tow; and balancing lines branching from the tow line and connected to said fastening devices.

6. A cable arrangement according to claim 4, in which the balancing lines, those portions of the tow line proper between the balancing lines and the fastening devices on the tow, and the portion of the tow line which forms its. bend each consist of a chain, while the intermediate lengths of the tow line comprise portions consisting'of rope.

7. A cable arrangement according to claim 5, in which the fastening devices on the tow for the tow line and the balancing lineshave manual releasing devices associated with them at the deck of the tug. V v V 8. In a'cable arrangement for towing, the combination oftwo grooved elements; fastening devices at each side of the tow situated at points equidistant from the lonpoints accessible from gitudinal axis thereof and to the rear of the how; two pulleys upon the tow situated at points equidistant from the said axis thereof and forward of said fastening devices; and a tow line connected to one of the fastening devices extending forwardly over one of said grooved elements, then backwardly over both pulleys on the tow, then forwardly over the other grooved element, and finally back to the other fastening device on the tow; said tow line having four balancing lines branching therefrom and connected to the tow by fastening devices on the tow.

In testimony whereof I, LoUIs VIo'ron WILLIAM F ROGER, have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS VICTOR WILLIAM FROGER.

Vitnesses:

GEORGE M. STUDLEY, RAoUL E. MOUTON. I 

